26-05-2025
UNM engineering students take midterm exam on Rail Runner
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A UNM professor brought his engineering students out of the classroom, turning the mundane task of taking a practical exam into an interactive, hands-on learning experience.
'The best way to introduce students or people who want to learn about dynamics and not be intimidated with equations is to actually see the structure vibrating with their own hands,' shared Dr. Fernando Moreu, UNM Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering.
The Rail Runner, a ride hundreds take every day for work travel, now serves as a hands-on learning environment. 'The equations, dynamics, vibrations can be tested in the ride of the train by taking the exam,' continued Moreu.
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This was Dr. Moreu's first time administering this kind of test on the Rail Runner. His previous times were when students applied sensors on the tram riding up the Sandia Mountains. This new application allowed students to test critical engineering fundamentals in real-time on a much larger scale.
'So at the end of the day, you want to be sure that they don't lose the ability of the dynamics class on the theory,' shared Moreu.
During the first week of class, students built their sensors to collect acceleration and tested them on campus. 'This class kind of taught us how to deploy sensors, take data, plot the data, all on real-time under pressure. So I felt like we were all ready for that exam,' emphasized Wyatt Sager, a graduate student at UNM.
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Once students had the practical skills down, with a normal questionnaire exam on the ride between Albuquerque and Kewa. The ride back was used to study vibration and movement in a dynamic environment.
This advanced course has been offered by Professor Moreu every three years since 2016. And though this class was the first ever to take their exam on the train, he hopes to continue this trend.
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